MST3K 413 - Manhunt in Space
The Short Synopsis Stalwart nurse Jessie Brewer is married to Phil Brewer, a cardiologist seven years younger than she. Phil has lost interest in Jessie and seeks the excitement of an extramarital affair. And Dr. Steve Hardy informs a patient that she has a hiatus hernia. Information * The late John Beradino (1917-1996) was still portraying Dr. Steve Hardy on GH at the time of this episode's original airing. The Movie Synopsis Rocky (Crane) and his co-pilot Winky are sent into space to try to foil a gang of space pirates who have been preying on cargo ships sent out by the United Worlds, and who have also captured Rocky's girlfriend, Vena (Mansfield). Rocky is aided by a new invention, "cold light," which, in much the same way as heat causes mirages to appear in the desert, causes an object to become so cold that it disappears.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047211/plotsummary Unsurprisingly the space pirates are employed by sexy-but-evil Queen Cleolanta of Ophesius. Information * Not a feature film, but several episodes of the TV series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (1954) edited together and released as a feature.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047211/plotsummary They made 39 episodes of the television series. A typical storyline would last for 3 episodes. The show lasted for only one season, because it lost a considerable amount of money. It had huge overhead costs (sets, special effects, large cast) compared to other shows of the early '50’s. The show was popular with the viewing public and had no lack of advertising sponsors, but it became evident during its first season that it would probably never break even. It was the first space opera to be shot on film, which is why it has survived so well. * The same 1950's show would be revisited by the bots four episodes later in Crash of Moons. The Episode Host Segments Prologue: It's snack time on the Satellite of Love, and Joel and the Bots discuss the virtues of black and white versus color films. Tom Servo has no opinion, leading to the discovery he is color blind. Segment One (Invention Exchange): Tom laments his blindness, but is consoled by Joel and Crow. The Mads show off their beanbag pants, perfect for lounging at a discussion salon. Joel and the Bots present their recycled paper clothing, leading to Tom being flashblind as well as color blind. Segment Two: The Bots are playing soap opera, based on the General Hospital short, but Joel refuses to participate due to a traumatic childhood experience. Segment Three: A discussion of the overuse of the modifier "space" that appears in the movie. The crew advocates a moderated use of modifiers. (The song that Joel starts to sing when the "Movie Sign" comes on is the theme from the PBS Series "Zoom".) as Winky ]] '''Segment Four: A visit from Winky via Hexfield Viewscreen. He insists he is in a spaceship and has many hot girlfriends. The SOL's instruments note he's in his mom's basement in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Segment Five: Crow is Joel’s guitar and Tom is the amp as Joel sings a la Winky before getting carried away with cool guitar solos. They read a letter via the Golden Throat. The Mads are still stuck in their beanbag pants, making it difficult to hit the button. Stinger: The space traitor tosses a space chair directly at the space camera. Other Notes Guest Stars *''Winky'': Michael J. Nelson *''Winky's Mom'': Frank Conniff Miscellanea *The movie Crow confuses with this film in segment four is Fugitive Alien. *Winky is wearing a modified MST3K Power Tee from the MST3K Info Club catalog. *Kevin Murphy is color blind in real life, which inspired the opening segment. Callbacks * "I told you to find adventure not bring it home with you!" (City Limits) * "Hi-keeba!" (Women of the Prehistoric Planet) * "I’m a Grimault warrior!" (Viking Women) * "Chief? McCloud!" (Pod People) * The Gamera song Obscure References *''"Going *up*, Mr. Tyler?"'' A parody of the spoken-word intro to the Aerosmith song "Love in an Elevator". *''"Yesterday's news is tomorrow's fish 'n' chip paper."'' The refrain from Elvis Costello's "Fish 'n' Chip Paper," off his 1981 album Trust. *''"Oz never did give nothin' to Bill Tinsman..."'' Joel is parodying the America song "Tin Man". *''"And this is what the Heritage Foundation will look like thanks to your contribution!"'' The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. *''"I don't know how to love him..."'' Quoted from "I Don't Know How to Love Him", a song from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. *''"Vladimir Horowitz!"'' Vladimir Horowitz was a Ukrainian-born classical pianist. *''"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"'' Servo is quoting Jack Nicholson as the Joker in the 1989 ''Batman'' movie. *''"There goes a narwhal!" '' Joel is quoting from the B-52s song "Rock Lobster". *''"Leaning towards Perot!"'' A reference to H. Ross Perot's 1992 presidential campaign. *''"I am Kirok!"'' A quote from the Star Trek episode "The Paradise Syndrome". *''"Stupidcaaaar..."'' A parody of the Supercar theme song. *''"This is kinda like Diver Dan without all the majesty and grandeur."'' Diver Dan was a children's TV show from the 1960s about a deep-sea diver interacting with fish puppets. * "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" A reference to the Daleks, villainous aliens from the hit British television show Doctor Who. *''"Look, it's the MST3K logo!"'' Tom Servo makes a meta-textual reference to MST3K itself, and he is quickly reminded by Joel "You aren't supposed to know about that". * "Heading out to Eden!" Tom Servo sings part of the song from the Star Trek episode "The Way to Eden". Memorable Quotes General Hospital, Installment 1 (short) : solemn nurse Jesse glides through the hospital ward lobby. : Crow: Ah, here comes Nurse-feratu. : [ Dr. Steve Hardy appears on-screen.] : Crow: Hey, he was old even then! Manhunt in Space (movie) : viewscreen on Rocky Jones's ship displays an image of a small, bumpy-looking planet. : Servo: Look! It's the MST3K logo! : Joel: aside Uh, you're not supposed to know about that... : Servo: Oh, uh... innocently. Video Release * Commercially released on DVD by Shout! Factory in February 2009 as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 14, a 4-DVD set with The Mad Monster, Final Justice, and Soultaker. This set has been out of print since 2016. **The episode was subsequently reissued in September 2018 as part of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Lost and Found Collection. Category:MST3K Episodes Category:Season 4 Category:Episodes with shorts Category:'As Seen on TV' Category:Movies directed by Jim Mallon Category:Unrated movies Category:1950s movies Category:Space travel films